APRIL HICKOX

April Hickox is a lens based artist, teacher and independent curator, who lives on the Toronto Islands. Her work includes photography, film, video, installation and site interactions. April's work is based in narratives, the passage from one experience to another in the life process encompassing history, memory, and site. She has been supported by all levels of funding throughout her career and has exhibited nationally and internationally. An active community leader, she is the founding director of Gallery 44 Center for Contemporary Photography, and a founding member of Tenth Muse Studio, and Artscape. Most recently April's work was featured in A Noble Line curated by Marnie Fleming. Currently she is producing two film installations and working on an exhibition and site commission curated by Stuart Reid for Rodman Hall, St Catharines Ontario.

April currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Photography at the Ontario College of Art and Design University and is a co-founder of Project Source, a digital community and website in progress for Canadian Women Photographers.

I have been engaged in photographing the environments of the Toronto Island Park and the history of this landscape. Throughout the years my work has taken many forms Inspired by the interacts of people in landscape including the need to create a comfortable space, to construct a temporary environment for future personal enjoyment. I am also recording the transitions in the planned changes made by park staff in the landscape for future generations to enjoy. As the city population grows, the Island is becoming the backyard for recreation and respite from the everyday. People come from the city and return regularly using the land in a variety of ways, often leaving behind objects and evidence of their visit.

I am also interested in photographing the people who use the land for recreation and workers who nurture green space for all of us. Park Workers is and extensive series of images of gardeners and laborers pausing while working in the park. This year I am working on Plein Air images of people enjoying green space including landscape painters, allotment gardeners, people reading, bird watching, walking or simple sitting in green space.

H E I S T

HEIST is a forward-thinking contemporary photography collective that encourages engagement between collectors and artists from around the world, providing accessibility and informative understanding into the medium of fine-art photography.